Prevalence and clinical picture of adult gluten-induced enteropathy in a Norwegian population.

Peroral jejunal biopsies were performed in 63 adult patients from a population of 40,000. Twenty-two patients had definite pathologic biopsy findings; 20 of these had gluten-induced enteropathy. With the 15 previously known patients in the region, this makes a minimum prevalence of 1 per 1,143. Subtotal villous atrophy was found in 8 patients, whereas partial villous atrophy was found in 12 patients. The clinical picture varied considerably, borborygmia, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and psychiatric symptoms being the most commonly encountered symptoms. Steatorrhoea was found in only two patients with subtotal villous atrophy. In all the remaining patients, including six with subtotal villous atrophy, the faecal fat excretion was normal. A low whole blood folic acid concentration was the most consistent laboratory finding, although some patients had values slightly above the lower normal limit. Anaemia was not pronounced. Iron deficiency, as measured by the erythrocyte protoporphyrin IX concentration, was not common. A high degree of clinical awareness and broad indications for jejunal biopsy-taking is recommended.